Types of Miniature and Exotic Pet Pigs
VIETNAMESE POTBELLY PIG:
Potbellies have long been shown in
zoos around the world. They
originated in Vietnam and were
brought to the U.S. through Canada in
1985 by Keith Connell with the
intention of supplying zoos. Instead
people started buying them as pets.
The first potbellies were much larger
pigs weighing between 150 to 200 lbs.
Their general appearance is a swayed
back, pronounced potbelly; erect ears, short turned up nose with a straight tail. The main
color is black, but potbellies can also be white, black and white (including pinto and fancy
pinto coloring), spotted, collared, and even a silver color. Potbellied pigs reach adult size at
about 4 years. Weights vary with averages ranging from 90-150 lbs.
KUNEKUNE:
KuneKune pigs are thought to have originated in China
from an old Polish Breed. They arrived in New Zealand
sometime in the late 1700s. In New Zealand they were
kept by Maori communities and were unknown to the rest
of the world. In the early 1800s they were introduced to
Europeans by whalers or traders. They are now widely
spread throughout New Zealand with some being exported
to the United Kingdom and the United States. They are a
relatively small pig with a short-legged, round appearance
with a short upturned nose and curly tail. KuneKune is a Polynesian word for plump. A
distinctive appearance on some KuneKunes is their pire pire (tassels) hanging from their
lower jaw. Colors range from black, black and white, gold, tan and brown. KuneKunes
have a calm, friendly temperament and seem to thrive on human companionship. During
summer months they can easily maintain themselves on grazing alone. Therefore, they
make excellent lawnmowers and don’t typically root.
GUINEA HOGS (AFRICAN PYGMY):
Guinea Hogs are a breed of pig unique to North America and it
is believed they are the descendents of pigs brought over from
Africa with the slave trade. The early African pigs were red,
large, and bristly. Modern Guineas are a smaller, all black pig.
They were common in the South prior to the Civil War as they
were small, docile pigs and considered easy keepers. They
provided food for the poor in the rural U. S. Over the years
they have been called many names such as acorn eaters and
yard pigs. Homesteaders would tether them in their yard
because of their great foraging abilities and to catch and eat
snakes. They prefer grazing rather than rooting for their meals. Guinea Hogs have a very
gentle temperament and small size making them easy to handle. Their weights average
from 100 to 300 lbs. They are not sway backed or potbellied. They are a stocky pig with
short legs, moderately short snout, medium sized upright ears, and tails with a kink. Their
coats are shiny black in color and very bristly. After the Civil War, when farmers went to
confinement methods of farming their numbers declined. They are now considered by the
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy as critical in need of conservation.
FERAL PIGS:
Note: Feral pigs and European Wild Boars may
not be considered by some to be a mini-pig.
However, due to their smallness as compared to a
farm hog, I included them in this article. Feral
pigs go by many names depending on the part of
the country where they reside. Some names
include: Razorback, Gulf Pig, Florida Swamp Hog,
Pineywoods, Pinewoods Rooter, Choctaw, and
Catalina. The most common states where they
can be found are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and
California. They are shaggy rough-looking pigs with forward-pointed to upright ears, long
snouts and very lean bodies. Feral pigs are descended from domesticated pigs that
escaped or were released. Some even have some Eurasian Wild Boar in their ancestry.
Solid black is the most common color, but you can find almost any color or color pattern.
EUROPEAN WILD BOARS:
European Wild Boars are also called,
Eurasian Wild Boars or Russian Wild
Boars. They have a long narrow snout
with long tusks, pointy ears with a tufted
straight tail. They have a very bristly coat
with an undercoat in the winter. They
range in color from blackish brown to tan
to gray with a lighter colored belly. They
also have grizzled hairs on their face and
throat which contrast against their dark colored snout. They range in size from 160 to 500
lbs. Piglets have a striped body making them resemble a chipmunk. As the piglet matures
it looses its striping. Wild boars have been introduced to a wide variety of places around
the world. Since they share the same habitat as feral domesticated pigs, most populations
of wild pigs are probably mixed with the wild boar.
OSSABAW ISLAND
PIG:
Ossabaw pigs are a feral
pig that can be found on
Ossabaw Island off the
coast of Georgia. They
were brought for food by
the Spanish when they
first came to the New
World five centuries ago.
Since pigs were a fresh
food supply, the Spanish routinely dropped them off on large islands all over the Caribbean
from Cuba to Ossabaw. They come in a wide variety of solid and spotted colors although
solid white is rare. They are a lively, friendly pig with a long snout, heavy coat, and prick
ears. Ossabaws have a low-grade form of diabetes and have a unique system of fat
metabolism. During times when food is sparse, they can live off the fat stored in their
bodies. Because of the diabetes and their system of fat metabolism, they are valued highly
as laboratory animals to study diabetes, nutrition, and obesity.
JULIANI (PAINTED MINIATURE):
Many older books on mini-pigs mention the Juliani pig.
However, while researching this article, I could find no mention
of them on the Internet or in books on pig breeds. Therefore,
there is some doubt about their true origins and some thought
that they might have been a cross for the purpose of marketing
them as something different during the height of the pet pig
craze. Older mini-pig books state the same information
regarding the Juliani pig which I’ve included in this article.
According to the older mini-pig books, Juliani Pigs can be traced back to Europe and were
developed through a selective breeding program to enhance their small size. Their colors
can be red, red and black, red and white, white, white and black, black, silver and silver
and white. They have longer legs than a potbelly and are usually smaller with a slight
potbelly. Their ears are small to medium in size and they have a straight tail. Some of our
pet pigs might be a mixture of Juliani and potbelly pig.
YUCATAN PIG
(MEXICAN HAIRLESS PIG):
Yucatan pigs originated in Mexico
and Central America. They are slate
gray to black in color with very
sparse hair to completely bald. They
have straight backs and bellies,
short snouts and medium sized
ears. Their temperament is very
gentle. Because their skin and body
systems are similar to humans,
they are often the pig of choice for
laboratories. Normally their size can range up to 210 lbs but laboratories have bred them
even smaller with weights ranging from 50 to 100 lbs.
PECCARY:
Peccaries or Javelinas as they are
sometimes called are not really pigs
but are the closest relative to the pig.
They differ from pigs in that they have
a second navel located on the lower
back about a half-foot from the end of
the tail. This nipple gives off a musky
secretion which is used for marking
territories. They also differ in that pigs
have four toes on each foot while a
Javelina has four on their forefeet but only two on their hind. Pigs also have six to twenty
mammary glands while Javelinas have only four. Javelinas have a complex chambered
stomach with no gallbladder. Pigs have a gallbladder and a simple chambered stomach.
Peccaries weigh from 35-65 lbs and look like a small bristly pig. Their bristles are dark
brown or black-gray with white tips. They also have a white collar which goes from the
chest to over the shoulders. Peccaries are native to Southern Texas, Arizona, and New
Mexico. Their herds are ruled by a female and can vary from 2 to 50 members.
THE MANGALIZA HOG:
This pig from Hungary has long cream colored
curly hair and drooping ears. Its young are
born horizontally striped like the Wild Boars.
Although widely distributed in the 19th
centrury in its native country, this domestic
breed is practically extinct at this time.